


Lift Your Open Hand

by ghostbusters



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 21:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1703096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostbusters/pseuds/ghostbusters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One-shot. Modern setting. Jean and Armin meet for the first time during the filming of one of those 'strangers meet and have a first kiss' Youtube videos that were popular recently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lift Your Open Hand

**Author's Note:**

> this is really silly and sappy but i saw a few of those first kiss videos and instantly thought of jearmin. i think those videos are weird, but kind of cute. this one was based more on that NYC one, the one not with actors. so it's not important, but i imagined this taking place in NYC, like around Central Park or something.

Jean had nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon and decided that he might as well take the opportunity to kiss a random stranger. Yeah. That could be fun. At the very least, it could make for an interesting story.

The air was warm for mid-March, winter still hanging on as long as it could but not enough to make wandering around the city bleak and miserable. Jean had been looking forward to planting himself on a park bench, whipping out the sketchbook, and doodling anyone who happened to catch his eye on a morning stroll. His hand wasn't really cooperating, though. Maybe it was his pencil. Or it could be that the people walking by were too drab to bat an eye at. His inability to map out anything substantial totally wasn't his fault.

He was bored. So incredibly bored and growing annoyed as the third yapping dog on too long of a leash tried to jump all over him while he sat on the bench. Screw this park. Forget it. He was going to get some damn coffee to ease his frustrated mood and maybe find some more captivating subjects hanging around the cafe.

Just his luck. The little corner coffee house was far too crowded for him to deal with. He left with a scowl and a steaming cup in hand, no real destination in mind. Perhaps wandering would spark an idea. He really needed to sketch something, anything. Jean's art professors were none too happy with his poor work ethic and sparse number of independent projects that semester. What? He couldn't help that the same old, same old of the city left him feeling as bleak as the finally departing winter.

“Excuse me, sir? Hey.”

Were they talking to him? Huh. He'd been watching a guy his age dart around on the sidewalk a block ahead of his intended path. He planned on walking right past the frantic guy but it appeared they wanted his attention.

“Me? What do you want?” He asked grumpily as the guy's face lit up at having found a potential participant. Victim?

“How would you like to be in a student project? Please? I need at least three more guys and you look like a great match.”

This could either go incredibly badly or horrendously awful. Jean hadn't even heard the premise yet, but there he stood, ready to follow this enthusiastic filmmaker. He was so fucking bored. That was his excuse.

“Fine. What do I have to do?”

\- - - -

And that was how Jean Kirschtein found himself sitting on a cheap, folding metal chair, blindfolded, on that boring March afternoon. Why was he agreeing to this? Sure, the idea of meeting a stranger for the first time and having a first kiss be filmed seemed harmless enough. A little kitschy and completely gimmicky, but innocent enough he supposed. The blindfolding set him on edge, though. Who wouldn't be a little freaked out by that?

His leg bounced nervously as he sat in the hallway, empty but for the other chairs lined up with other curious and slightly worried occupants. This was a cult, a fucking cult and he knew it. Fuck this. He stood to get up and storm out of the place, decidedly done with any psycho shit or pretentious filmmaker looking for their fifteen minutes of Youtube fame.

“Number 6?”

He halted his departure and turned his blindfolded face to the source of the voice calling out his assigned number. “Yeah?”

“You're up.” He was led to a small, studio loft with a camera set up to a cleared space against a blank wall, though Jean couldn't see any of that yet. “We'll bring someone in from the other group in a second. What type of person do you prefer to be paired with?”

“The fuck does that mean?”

“Guy or girl?”

Honestly, he didn't care at that point and told the disembodied voice as much. He just hoped they were at least hot or something. God, this was going to be awkward. Soon enough, footsteps returned to the room as the other participant was led over to Jean. He smirked as he heard the other person stumble, probably over a wire or something. Their quiet gasp and 'thanks' muttered as they were led sounded soft and slightly timid. _Probably some cute little chick, alright._ Jean could work with that.

“Camera's are rolling, take off your blindfolds when ready and let's see what happens,” came the announcement from whoever was behind the camera.

Jean hesitated for only a moment before slipping the blindfold up and off his eyes. Oh. Wow. Not what he expected at all.

The other participant stood in front of him, fumbling with their blindfold as they tried to untie it rather than just slipping it off. Jean had a few good inches on the man in front of him. _More boy than man_ , Jean mused, captivated by those bright, golden locks. He felt silly for his urge to just reach out and run his hands through them, but they did look really soft. That could probably be gotten away with when they finally got down to business. He was taken back at the first sight of his partner, but that slight smile and those big, worried blue eyes won him over once that stupid blindfold was taken away.

“Hi,” the other guy thrust his hand out confidently to shake Jean's, initial impression of timidness gone. “I'm Armin.”

“Uh. J-Jean.” He scowled at his absolute lameness. Armin scowled right back, not sure what was wrong with the guy in front of him, unimpressed by the nasty expression. “Sorry.”

“So. Are we going to do this or...what.” Armin turned to the camera. “Do you just want us to kiss or is there anything else or-”

“Whatever feels natural.”

Armin took a step forward, sizing himself up to Jean. He had to tilt his head back to look Jean in the eye from where he'd positioned himself. Jean didn't know why that small action made his voice catch in his throat, witty comment completely forgotten as Armin pouted. He regrettably flinched at the touch of Armin's hand against his wrist.

“Sorry. I don't know what to do.” Jean could feel his face heating up. This kid was really cute and needed to stop staring up at him the way he was if they were going to make any progress. _Come on man, stop blushing._

“Don't think about the camera,” Armin stage whispered, loud enough to be picked up by the mic.

“I wasn't! But now I fucking am!”

The camera man chuckled to himself. Only one couple in and he was already going to have to do some editing to bleep words out.

“Jean,” the exasperated, breathless way Armin said his name snapped his attention back from staring at the camera. Why was that so riveting? “Chill out. It's just a kiss.”

He was right. It was just a kiss. Why was he freaking out all the sudden? _Get a grip, Kirschtein._ It's just a stupid kiss in a stupid hipster video and he was so above it all. This was incredibly lame.

Fuck it.

Armin let out a small gasp of shock as Jean tossed caution out the window and swooped in to capture the other's lips, finally. He immediately wound his hand through a fistful of that gold hair, smiling against the other when his suspicions on its softness proved true. This was easy. This was nice. Armin kissed back soft and gentle, feeling only slightly awkward from the sudden kiss. Jean pulled back quickly with his hand still in place, thumb gently rubbing just _so_ against the soft skin behind Armin's ear.

The smaller boy's eyes slipped closed at the feeling, way nicer than it should be for the situation they were currently in. Screw composure. Forget the camera. He'd been plucked from the street and put in a place away from everyone and anything. There was an incredibly attractive guy staring down at him with his long, wonderful fingers playing in his hair. Who was he to pass up such a lucky opportunity?

Armin strained on his tip-toes and pulled Jean back down to meet him in the middle, hand grabbing a fistful of the other's collar and holding on with a tight grip. Jean was a little surprised at this guy's sudden boldness, flattered too, to tell the truth. Maybe he was only playing it up for the cameras. But maybe that didn't matter. Jean felt a spark? Was that the goal of this film project, to make some ridiculous statement about bringing _anyone_ together? What was he doing here? And why was Armin pushing him away?

“Hey, I can almost _hear_ you thinking, weirdo. I'm doing all the work. It's like kissing a fish,” Armin complained, put off that Jean wasn't responding as completely as before.

_Like a fish? The nerve of this guy!_ “Excuse me? Oh, hell no. I'll show you how to fucking kiss, smart-ass.” This was a competition now.

The camera man really had to hold himself together at this point, first wanting to burst out laughing at the incredulous, insulted look on Jean's face. As the two forgot their annoyance with each other, he felt the need to turn away from the scene before him, as his first set of test subjects got just a little too into what was supposed to be a brief exchange. He left the camera rolling and quietly backed over to the window behind him and decided to just wait it out. His simple project was falling apart.

Back on planet 'awkward-stubborn-boys making-out', Jean and Armin were preoccupied being awkward and stubborn while they were making out. Aggressively too, as if they were trying to completely out-do each other. Hands were wound into hair while teeth grazed over sliding lips, motion and touch unyielding between them. Jean kept opening his eyes slightly to squint at the shorter boy tangled against him, taking in the sight of that delicate blond fringe and furrowed, dark eyebrows. Armin looked both serene and serious. Ironic, when he was the one previously complaining about Jean's over-thinking of the situation.

“We should probably stop. We _definitely_ should stop, the camera is still on,” Jean panted against Armin's lips, swollen and shining. God. Jean dipped down for another quick kiss, unable to resist his new favorite flavor. His head was spinning.

“I don't care. Maybe we managed to ruin the video.” Armin gave a wicked little grin and pulled Jean back, tugging the other's bottom lip between his teeth and reveling in the small whimper he got in return. He wasn't used to having this effect on people and every reaction from Jean was doing wonders for his confidence. Maybe they really should stop. _Continue elsewhere, push my luck_ , Armin mused. He crushed his mouth back against Jean's one more time, arms thrown around his neck like an anchor.

Maybe he liked this a little too much, if his inability to pull away from too long was any indication.

“I think we've got enough. Thanks, men. That was... interesting.”

They broke apart at the comment, startled from their intense stare-down and debate of whether or not to dive back in again. Armin turned beet red as he flattened out his mussed up hair while Jean rocked on his heels, looking everywhere but the camera or Armin.

“That's all? Can we leave?” Armin timidly asked, fire gone from his voice. He pretty much just felt embarrassed now that the whole thing was over.

The filmmaker thanked them for their time and told them to look out for the finished project on Youtube in the next few weeks. With a tense silence hanging over them, Jean and Armin both headed out into a hallway and down the back staircase to the street below. What a weird afternoon.

They both lingered outside the doorway of the apartment, Jean unsure if a measly handshake was an acceptable goodbye for a stranger he'd just finished sucking face with, within moments of meeting each other. He rocked on his heels again, unsure of how to proceed while he collected his thoughts.  _Armin._ The less-than-a-stranger's name. This guy was really cute and more than a little unpredictable. So timid at first and then just as stubborn and demanding as him. Would asking him out be appropriate?

“I'd say that would be more than fine,” Armin shyly said with a small laugh as he brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, wind breezing by as they stood on the sidewalk.

“Fuck. Did I say that out loud?"

“You've been saying a lot of things out loud. Did I short circuit you or something?"

“What? Fuck you!"

“Take me to dinner first. I'm not that kind of boy,” Armin joked back in response, incredibly proud of how flustered he was making the other, despite how nervous he felt. Seemed to be working, though. “But. I, uh, would probably say yes to something a bit simpler than dinner.”

Jean gaped at him. Who was this kid? He was interested to find out what was going on in that cute blond head, behind big blue eyes. Eyes currently beaming up at him expectantly.

“So. _Armin_.” Jean spoke his words slowly, determined not to sound like a fuck-up and stutter out his question, which backfired tremendously. “Do you maybe want to go somewhere? Out. Out with me. God, that was lame. Nevermind. I don't even know you. But I guess that's the whole point of asking you out. Fuck. Sorry.”

Real smooth.

Armin appreciated it though, awkward delivery and everything. The honest brashness was what won him over back in the studio. He liked this Jean guy and really didn't want him to leave yet, not then and hopefully not later. He slipped his hand into the other's and twined his fingers with the long ones he had so enjoyed in his hair earlier. Those same hands that now itched to bring the forgotten sketchbook back out from his bag, Jean finally having found an interesting subject. The city had delivered on his search for inspiration, spare no expense.

Jean squeezed the smaller hand in his and made to head off to the park across the street. Wait. There was one more thing Armin wanted to do.

Just before the light changed to signal for them to cross the street, Armin mustered another bout of courage and pulled Jean down for another kiss, soft and quick and without the bright light set-up and the intruding eye of the camera. Yup. The spark they both felt was still strong, even without the competitive need to preform in the stifling atmosphere of that studio.

Matching smiles broke out across their faces as they snapped back to reality at the sound of someone yelling at them to cross the damn street already. With a spring in their step, they rushed over the crosswalk, hand-in-hand, excited to waste away the remainder of that warm March afternoon.

When the video made it to Youtube a few weeks later, it was a solid internet hit, hailed as a touching, intriguing artistic statement. The subtly of a minimal set and 'real' people. The discussion of the human condition. Whatever. La-di-dah. Jean and Armin watched it together in mortification, completely embarrassed at how much more intense they were than the majority of the other participants in the short film. Quite an experience. It was worth it, though. Look where it landed them.

The video came to a close, the last shots on screen zooming in on the pair of them kissing just before they crossed the street below, discreetly taken without them knowing, clearly making them stars of the whole strange show. Some words appeared on the screen, but Jean would have to watch the video again later to find out what they were. Near the end, Armin took it upon himself to initiate an encore of what they'd just watched.

Yes. So very,  _very_ worth it. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> title comes from that cheesy "kiss me" song that everyone knows 
> 
>  
> 
> [main tumblr](http://theghostbusters.tumblr.com/) & [snk only](http://aarlertarmin.tumblr.com/).


End file.
